A BROTHER and sister died together after barricading themselves inside their home and setting fire to it.
Alan and Linda McGinty could not be saved despite a neighbour trying to raise the alert after noticing smoke from their shared property in Bradford.
The neighbour was unable to get inside before firefighters found Alan, 68, and 63-year-old Linda unconscious and the pair’s deaths were recorded four minutes apart.
The siblings died of smoke inhalation, an inquest on Wednesday has now heard – with a coroner describing their loss as a “tragic event involving two lonely people”.
The pair were said to be reclusive and had “refused” offers of help from social services and healthcare providers.
Fire investigator Neil Griffiths told the inquest at Bradford coroners’ court how crews called to the scene found “stacks of magazines about a metre high” against the back door.
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They were also bags of rubbish piled in most rooms as well as a “significant amount of hoarding in all the bedrooms and bathroom”, he said.
The fire service was called to the terraced property in Ringwood Road, Bradford, at 6.33am on March 28, 2022.
The front door had been locked from inside with the key snapped off, the inquest heard.
Ms McGinty was unconscious on the living room floor while her brother was in an armchair, after a mattress had been set alight.
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"There is no evidence of which sibling started the fires," Mr Griffiths said.
Police also attended but found no notes nor anything to suggest why the pair might have started the fire, according to Det Insp Suzanne Hall – though crews did find a bottle of lighter fluid as well as used matches.
Housing association Incommunities had applied for a court injunction to gain access to the home and were scheduled to visit on March 29, the day after the blaze.
The inquest heard the pair previously threw water at housing officers trying to enter the home.
Assistant West Yorkshire coroner Angela Brocklehurst, recording a narrative conclusion, said: “Sadly, because of this, I have no one to pass my condolences to.
“But this was a tragic event involving two lonely people who wanted to escape from the society around them.
“Both Alan and Linda could see no light at the end of the tunnel. There were offers to help, but it is clear they wanted to refuse that.
"It is a tragedy that, in today's society, there are people still in those circumstances."
Contact the Samaritans
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
They are available for free at anytime.
Or email https://www.samaritans.org/
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